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Discovered Valley Ranch Dressing

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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~

Finally, a creamy and tangy ranch dressing that’s entirely dairy-free, vegan, and raw! Use on salad, as a dip, make ranch kale chips,  in sandwiches, or even on pizza.

Ever wonder what is hiding in your Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing?  Go ahead, turn the bottle around and read the ingredients.  Now, gently set it down, back away slowly, turn around and run for your pantry!  Grab the ingredients below and make your own healthy, non-chemical laden dressing!

Don’t feel bad, I too use to love ranch dressing. I always had a bottle of it in my fridge. It’s one of those versatile dressings that tastes amazing on just about every food that it comes in contact with.

This ranch dressing is gluten-free, dairy free, soy free, refined sugar-free and cooked free.  I bet you are thinking to yourself, “If it is all that, could it possibly taste good?”  The answer is YES!

Those who are vegan, vegetarian, semi-vegetarianism, flexitarian, raw foodists, pollotarians, pescetarians, pollo-pescatarians, macrobiotic-tarian, omnivores, or even those who are SADatarians (Standard American Diet- atarians) can enjoy this dressing! lol I am sure I missed a few categories but all in all I believe this recipe can be enjoyed by everyone.  If you have a nut allergy (a non-nutarian? haha), you can substitute the cashews with sunflower seeds or hemp seeds.  It may alter the flavor a tad but I know you will still love it.

You can’t see it in the picture but in the midst of the Discovery Ranch Dressing sits a carrot.  Yep, this dressing was so darn good that I was double dipping my carrot into it while I was prepping it for its photo shoot. Oy.  I know, I know,  one shouldn’t double dip but I was alone, no one to scold me, and I just lost control!  Well, I actually lost my carrot!

Ingredients:

Yields 3 cups

  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked 2+ hours
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Medjool dates soaked in 1/2 cup of water
  • 1/2 cup date soak water (use the soak water from above)
  • 1-2 large cloves garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 Tbsp red onion, minced
  • 3 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp dried dill or 1 Tbsp fresh dill
  • 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt
  • 1 tsp dried basil or 1 Tbsp fresh basil
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 1 cup water

Preparation:

  1. Place the dates in the water and start the soaking process while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
    • If the dates are really dry and hard, you may want to soak them for a 1 hour or longer.  You can even start them soaking the same time you soak the cashews.
    • The soak time will vary depending on the date.  You want the dates soft when you add them to the blender.
  2. After soaking the cashews, drain and rinse the soak water.
    • If you wish to make this nut-free, sunflower seeds are a great alternative.
  3. In a high-powered blender add the cashews, lemon juice, vinegar, dates, soak water of dates, garlic, onion, dill, and salt. Puree until smooth and creamy.
    • This can take 1-3 minutes, depending on the machine you use.
    • If using fresh herbs add those last.
  4. The 1 cup of water is to be added last or omitted, depending on what you are making with this recipe.
    • If using as a dip, omit the cup of water and place the dressing/dip in an airtight container and chill for about 2 hours to thicken.
    • If using as a dressing add up to 1 cup of water, you can decide on the consistency that you want.
  5. This should be good for 5-7 days.

Nutritional Value: 3 cups = 48 Tbsp = Info calculated for 1 Tbsp

  • Calories: 30
  • Fat: 2.1 gm
  • Protein: 1 gm
  • Carbs: 2.5 gm

30 thoughts on “Discovered Valley Ranch Dressing

  1. jennifer says:

    HI! Great website! I am out of raw cashews. Any thoughts on substituting sunflower seeds or almonds?

    • amie-sue says:

      Jennifer, sorry for the delay in responding. You could easily sub the cashews out with another nut or seed. It might change the flavor just a tad but I have a feeling it would still taste wonderful. Keep me posted! amie sue

  2. jennifer says:

    Hello! I tried it with the sunflower seeds and it was fantastic! I am trying to incorporate more raw foods into my vegetarian diet. I am so glad I found your website. Thank you!

    • amie-sue says:

      That is wonderful Jennifer! Let me know if I can help you through your journey. :) Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for keeping me posted. amie sue

  3. Carley says:

    How long will this last in my fridge?

    • amie-sue says:

      Hi Carley,

      I would give it a shelf life of around 5-7 days. The sooner it is consumed, the more nutrient packed it will be. Have a great evening. amie sue

  4. Kim says:

    This was really good. I’ve been missing a salad with Ranch dressing since becoming vegan. I also used it in some leftover pasta as a pasta salad. Tasty!

  5. ann says:

    Hi Amie-Sue

    I am so thrilled to come across your website. It is so easy on the eyes and easy to navigate around on. I am going to make the ranch with mac nuts-whatchya think? It is what I have in my pantry and I am dying to try the ranch dsg. Actually can’t wait to try all your recipes. Thanks!

    • amie-sue says:

      Thank you Ann…. mac nuts should be ok… just be careful that you don’t over process them. They are so high in fat that it cause cause the dressing to be oily… so if you keep an eye on that… flavor wise it should be good. Let me know if you try it. amie sue :)

  6. rocki says:

    Hands down, this is the BEST version of raw vegan ranch dressing I’ve ever had! Creamy, tasty and oh so yummy! Hubby loved it too and said to gold plate the recipe ;)

  7. Brittany says:

    I love the name of this dressing!

  8. Jenn says:

    I made this dressing last night to top off a huge salad. It was a huge hit in my house! I used sunflower seeds rather than cashews and it still came out amazing. I’ve made ranch dressings in the past and usually I think they taste nothing like a true ranch, but this definitely does. It will be my go-to ranch dressing recipe from now on. Thank you!!!

    • amie-sue says:

      Thank you Jenn… this is one of my favorite dressings as well. I too think it is pretty spot on with flavor. So happy to hear that you enjoyed it. :) Have a happy day, amie sue

  9. Jet says:

    Ever wonder what is hiding in your Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing?

    Yes, I have and I’ve read it. I’ve totally eliminated it from my house. My husband is having a hard time with it, though. He remembers the great taste.

    I made my own version of this recipe using almonds. He said it was more like Caesar but he liked it. My children are starting “not” to complain about the raw dishes.

    • amie-sue says:

      Hello Jet,

      So nice to hear that your family is jumping on board. :) I know it can be a slow process but slow and steady wins the race. Have a great weekend, amie sue

  10. Lyn :] says:

    Hi Amie Sue,

    This is really great!!! We use to be Hidden Valley Ranch lovers… but no more!!! Everyone loves the onion and sour cream taste!!! So good…..where’s a spoon when you need one and a hiding spot!!!! :] Thank you Again!!! Lyn :]

    • amie-sue says:

      lol Lyn. Ranch is such a popular dressing for sure. My sister use to use it like ketchup… it went on everything. :) So happy that you found another recipe to enjoy. Blessings, amie sue

  11. Bridgette says:

    Good Morning,

    How long am I suppose to soak the dates?

    • amie-sue says:

      Hello Bridgette,

      I updated the recipe to indicate the time frame for soaking the dates. Since this recipe, I have been working hard on being more detailed in my instructions so I cleaned this one up… hoping to make it more clear. :) Have a great day, amie sue

  12. Robyn says:

    What can you substitute dates?

    • amie-sue says:

      Yes you can Robyn… You can use raisins instead or any other liquid sweetener. You will will need to add in the water that was used if you had soaked the dates though. I would use either agave or maple syrup. amie sue

  13. Suzanne says:

    Hi Amie-Sue!

    This salad dressing is out-of-this-world delicious! As a vegan, one thing that I have missed is thick and creamy salad dressings, and this more than fills the bill. I’ve made it twice already, and have my cashews soaking for a third batch! Thank you for sharing your wonderful, creative recipes — everything on your site looks amazing!

    • amie-sue says:

      Good evening Suzanne. So wonderful to hear from you. This is one my favorite dressings too. This and my beet one. There is something special about a creamy dressing. :) I appreciate your feed-back. Enjoy and never be ashamed if you lick the bowl clean. hehe Blessings, amie sue

  14. sunydaze48 says:

    Made this delish discovered dressing today. I used pickled red onion I had left over from a sandwhich I made a few days ago and thought what the heck, don’t want it to go to waste so I threw it in instead of the regular red onion… Amazing!!

    • amie-sue says:

      Oh that sounds perfect! I love this dressing and the raw Thousand Island one… I can eat them right off the spoon! hehe Thanks so much for sharing Sunydaze. Have a wonderful afternoon! amie sue

  15. purplesage says:

    I found a delicious yogurt ranch dip some time back and have been looking for a great raw sub. Found it here! You are my go to for raw foods, it’s really between you and Russell James but (don’t tell him) I feel you beat a lot of his recipes.
    I added chipolte seasoning to this recipe and one capsule of probiotics. Ohhhhhhhhh Ohhhhh Oohhhhh is all I can say. It’s mouth watering. I use it for dipping veggies, and anything else I can pour it on. Thank you so much!
    I’m going to try it with sunflower seeds too like Jennifer. That would be great as cashews are very expensive.

    • amie-sue says:

      Well goodness, that is a pretty high compliment. :) Thank you so much for the love behind your words… means a lot. I love the additions that you made to the recipe… sounds wonderful and you are making me hungry. hehe It’s a pleasure having you here with us. blessings and love, amie sue

  16. […] Dinner: 1/2 lb of Salad with Ranch Dressing […]

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